Process of dehydrating nitrocellulose.



G. W. GBNTIBU. YROGESS OP DEHYDRATING NITROCELLULOSB.

APPLcATxoN FILED 1911.27, woe.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

Inl/,e for mms ummm: mm hmmm D c Per j# am.

UNITED STAT@ PATENT QFFlGE,

GEORGE W. GENTIEU, F PEOBIA, ILLINUIB.

Application filed April 27,

Bpeolgiion ot Letters Patent To all whom 'it may concern.'

YBe it known .thlt l Gnonon W. rieN'rinu, n citizen of the niedtotes, residing ,ut Peoria', in the county of Peoria und. 'Slate oiY Illinois, have invented tun-Lilli new :115ml e.

useful Improvements in Processes of hydrati Nitrocellulose end I do hereby declare t the' 'following is n lull, clear, and exnctfdescription of the invention, which will ennbld others skilled in the artA to which it a ertaiin's Vto make and'. use the same.4

'l is.y invention rela-tes more particularly to processes for -de-hydration of nitro-cellulose and other similar materials; and bjeetyvhich I have in view is to rovld nit.;- llulosewhlch leaves the'ntrofeellnf lose irrthe vform of'e dense, hard block.A

This. process not only 4is slowan'ld r nires an. expensive up araftus, .consisting o hydrool-ic .jxirious tothelnitroellulnse as 1t breaks up the cellular strncturethereof and destroys elasticity of the mass, s quality' veryessentiel in the manufactured powder from hitrof'cellulose. V"3Fmr]*.herin'ore,- in the monufaeture of powder, nitrocellulose which has been' de-h drate'd in. the foregoing manner has to-be roken up m reces, and the herd compact neture' thereo A prevents rapid and thorough col-leiding of the same.

my y resent invention; the nitro-gellio or o er meterislto be le-hydrated .is introduced into high speed ccntrin-gel w `er,-wl1ich removes the grooten et-eent, o)4 AWitter therefromF4 and mats t o nitrof ains'lithe'perforeted wall of the wringen Alfter the surplus water has been removed other Suitable liquid is snr ed. gunst *11 ,surfaceof the mass o mtrolcellulose "de, wringer continues to revolve, forces'its Way thron h: the mass of' mtrodis cing the waterthere thereb in leaving o delited amount of elcohol.

'rornthe nitrofcellulose, alcohol or.

ln this piovosa, the expensive hydrenlio Re# und necessary accessory )arts are rep aced l y the inexpensive, ef'oient centrlfu al wrmger, by the use of which the nilrofcel nlose is ilo-hydrated in less time and with less labor, und is not compressed into o hard,

'compact mass, but retains original light and orous con iton throughunil the process. V he retention of the nitro cellulose inthis li .ht porous condition is very importent' in t emanufacture of powder, not oni bgggnse itis easily acted u on by a. solvenllwhen n this state but .ena les :r Vpowder of snpermp `toughness and elasonly to' be made' therefrom.- f

In order that inviprsssss mor 'he ,me `e clearly understood, I leve ilinstr'seied in tige accompanying drown an apparatus su 1 as AI prefer to employ `'or c errymg my procossint-o e ect, nd-wil1 now describe my process in olnnection therewith.

In said drawings, Figure 1 shows the complete apparatus, the centrfu 'el Wringl' being in vertical' Section; and Q is' a a-c of Fi .'1, looking in the direction indicated bv tie arrow.

Similar ti ures of refeiience indicate similer' parts in oth views.

1 is e base of any .suitable construction upon which is supported a cylindrical recplacle or closing 2,;within which is mounte a horizontally rotatable wrinver basket 3 of any suitable co'nstruetion'.'V This Erin el basket is carried by the shaft 4 which its'b'eurings in the' base `l'and baseplai 5 und is provided .with a pulley 6 thereon whereby the wrin er is driven. The bottom r's' of the receptac e or casingl has e oenfrgm said central opening therein tof-the mint oise-1 r @US wolltl nl provided W1 tw megas gf which 4the watermey be discharged through the pxe 11 ondthe alcohol through the pipe 12. pet cock L3 1s 4provided on the pipe 9 fof-'drawing oil 'samples ofthe li cl wringe y sin lsffistsr-ls g elle t Patented Aug. 245 1909.

1flew of the 'centrifugal 'wringer on the line iral opening 8 vfor the shaft 4, and inolines @hier Well of. the receptacle, forming enenles ee' way valvelo,| y i los -desigiied that the nitro-cellulose be' drawn liquid 'against the nitro-cella ose in thai i for the manufacture of powder, which is 30 i usuallyv roiii twenty live to thirty live per 'i 4has been thoroug has passed the necessary stability tests equal amount iiito the tank 15.

nitro-cellulose is thrown by centrifugal force through the perforationsin the basketfinto 'the'inclosintgrreceptacle 2, from which it is ong ivall of the wringer basket.

. is accomplished: jo e valvcZin the p 22, whiehynllllvlsule alcohol to-ilovg' the wringen basket. The pulped nitro-cellui lose is supplied to the measuring receptacle l5 1 through the pipe lo, and in operation itis oli' from the measuring receptacle while still agitated l'roni itsl introduction therein, and i befoieit has tiiiie to settle in the receptacle. s 'l`lie outlet from the receptacle la to the eoiil ducting pipe l-l is controlled by a valve 1T operated through the valve stein lb,aiid lever. lJ by the'handic 2U. This valve is arranged j to inovelear of the valve seat so as to oli'er no obstruction to the passage of the pulped nitrocellulose therethrough.

21 is a'storage tank for alcohol `or other l suitable, liquid which I may use in the process of' ile-hydration, and-communicates through the pipe 32 a'nd vali/'o23 withv the interior of .the wringer basket 3. The portion 24 of the' pipe 22 within the wringer basket is perforated so as to direct the liquid in the forin of a jet or spray against the nitro-cellulose matted against the perforated The tank 2l may be elevated a suitablel distance above the wringer, or pressure devices`may the provided to furnish pressure for s rayrng the wringer basket.

'In carrying my improved .process into e'ect, I take wet pulped nitrocellulose that' y cleansed from acid and to the requirements of the UnitedStates Government and measure out the desired The 'valve A17 is then opened by pulling down on the handle QOand the material'is discharged through the pipe 14 into-the perforated basket 3 of. the wringer. 4The wringer is then set in motion by applying ISewer-hy means of 'belting tothe drive pnl y V6 and as the wrnger basket revolves with increasing speed, the

to theside of the basket and heldwhile the greater portion of the water is forced drawn olf. tlie"out let pipe 9, valve 10 antcise 11. There -now remains in the nitroose 25 matted against the {perrom forated wall of the 'wringen basket twenty to forty per cent. o water, which onP account ,of the porosity and'capillary attraction of the nitro-cellulose, is not removed b the centrifugal forcegof. the wringen his water must be removed in orderfto makethe nitro-cellulose into owder'which e' ray pipe 24,froiii'-A whence it4 is" form .of a.-

or 'sprayf against the inner surface ,of the nitro-cellulose 25. As the wringer basket continueato revolve the alcohol is absorbed -into the mass o nitro-cellulose and forced therethrough by the centrifugal forceV of' the wringer,'di s placing the waterlieforc it so that by reguf lating the quantity of alcohol used, the entire amount of water in the nitro=eellulose may be forced froni the mass.' The alcohol attlie beginning is slightly; diluted with water aiidby turning `the lever handle of the three way valve 1Q, `this weak alcohol land surplus alcohol may' be cxlmushed ,'ilirough the pipe l2 andcolleeted in the storage tank (not shown) and later re-ncti lied and used over again. By' drawin sam- 'ples of' alcohol through the pet cock in the discharge pipe aand testing the samples withdrawn from time to time, it can readily be ascertained when the water has all been Withdr` ujn from the nitro-cellulose, the dehydration being eoinpiete when the alcohol forced through the nitro-cellulijisel is not diluted with, water but is of the original 'strength. The supply of alcohol is, then shut off` and the wringer rexolgd at a speed suilici'ent to remove from -th-nitrocellulose all the alcohol except the amount required cent. he power is then shut off, the )vrniger stopped-and the nitro-cellulose. being in a lig it porous condition is easily removed foni the ivringer'basket.

What I claim is:

1- A process-for dehydrating nitro-cellier'4 lose which consists in subjeetingthe nitro y.

cellulose' in a'pulpy state to the actionof a centrifugal to extract the inajorportion `of the' water, subjecting cellulpse in .pulpstto'to-tlieaetion'of a centrifugelsunder' igli 'speed 1tol extract' the sulting in't'iss'toe s i'ayed bath while thel centrifu ialtili rotatngfto'lfl 4pel the-renin' .watenand then w'- the speed of sai .'to pro 0n greatest einountqf water subeqtin there, aguilera.;

the matted-mass to afA 4sprayed bath of alcohol while the -'1 .of said centrifugal to approper amount' vof alcoholin said ma ,f j '2, A A lose w ch consista 'in siibieetihg, the

nir

the'ainoiintofalooholtofbe" ftlif In testimony whereof] ha'vealxedfiy 

